Struggling Iraq war vet selling war medal on eBay
Jun 28, 2012, 9:00 AM | Updated: 10:56 am
Iraq war veteran Josh |
An army veteran who made the decision to sell
an army medal on eBay says he wasn’t ready for the firestorm that
followed.
“I wasn’t prepared mentally for the anguish and the
backlash,” says Josh Crowley who completed his active
service in the military about a year ago.
Crowley tells 97.3 KIRO FM’s Dori Monson Show that
after losing a good paying job at the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation, he’s struggling to keep up with his bills.
“I don’t have a lot of stuff left to sell,” says Crowley.
“I sold my bed. I’ve been living on an inflatable mattress
since December. I sold my TV. I’ve sold everything that I
have of real value.”
After reading a story of a veteran that made $5,000 off
the sale of his Army Achievement medal, Crowley says he
made the tough decision to put his up for sale as well.
“I thought if I could at least raise half as much, I could
pay some bills down and then be OK.”
Crowley tells Monson the decision was difficult because
the medal means a lot to him, representing his time in
Iraq.
“There’s a lot of emotion tied to that time of my life
that was very difficult for me, so when I think about it,
it brings up a lot, and to think that I’d have to give up
something important to me,” says Crowley. “The purpose
behind the medal means more than anything to me.”
At the point he’s at, Crowley doesn’t see a lot of other
options. He says his condition is symptomatic of a larger
problem.
“It’s a bigger issue than me, but a lot of vets have too
much pride to come forward, and that’s why I’m getting a
lot of backlash as well, because these guys think I’m
making vets look bad,” says Crowley. “We are very proud
people, as veterans, and it’s hard to ask for help,
because as veterans we believe we are stronger than the
average person, so when we ask for help we think it
reflects negatively on service.”
He points out his isn’t the only medal up for auction on
ebay.
“There’s another guy selling his Army Achievement medal,
bidding is at $3,000, and there’s another guy who’s
selling Vietnam medals for his dad who was disabled,” says
Crowley. “It’s a broader problem.”
Crowley’s medal auction on ebay will
conclude on Friday.
Listen to Dori’s full interview with Josh Crowley:
By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor
